The Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium has announced call for entries for the 2022 Parmigiano Reggiano® Design Challenge, produced in partnership with iconic design brands Kartell and Alessi for the second consecutive year.
The competition challenges professional designers and design students to create product concepts that elevate the rituals of cooking and eating. This year, the competition explores the intersection of food and design, offering inspiration in the form of dishes prepared by renowned James Beard award winner Chef Michel Nischan, as well as Chef Michele Casadei Massari, the US Brand Ambassador for Parmigiano Reggiano and Executive Chef at Lucciola in New York.
Entries will be evaluated based on how well the product concepts embody key ideas that were built into the recipes and are considered important differentiating values for the Parmigiano Reggiano brand, including three category tenets:
- Diversity:The unique flavor profile of each wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese is partly due to the fact that the milk used to make the cheese comes from different parts of the Area of Origin with different elevations, diverse breeds of cows, the cheese changes also depending on the time of the year in which it was produced. We invite designers to leverage ‘diversity’ in their design concepts, which could influence the appeal of the product to different demographics as well as the selection of materials, colors, shapes, etc.
- Zero Waste: With Parmigiano Reggiano cheese nothing gets wasted – not even the rind, which can be used to make all sorts of interesting recipes. As champions of Zero Waste principles, we challenge designers to consider the environmental impact of the product concepts that they will submit. Consider the type of materials in the context of sustainability.
- Aging: Parmigiano Reggiano cheese must be matured a minimum of 12 months, and can be aged up to 24, 36 months and even longer. Aging contributes to the variety in taste, aroma and texture of the cheese. How could the concept of aging be built into the entries? As an example, some products acquire a rich patina or become softer the more they are used.
The Design Challenge will be judged by a distinguished panel of the brightest stars in the design industry, including Mauro Porcini, the Chief Design Officer for PepsiCo, world famous designers Karim Rashid and Fabio Novembre, respected restaurant designer Alessia Genova from Tihany Design, the head of the Michael Graves Design office, Donald Strum. The jury also includes the winner of last year’s Best in Show Award, Qing Yan. Chef Michele Casadei Massari and Chef Michel Nischan will also provide a culinary perspective in the evaluation process.
The jury will select gold, silver, and bronze winners from each of the three categories and, from there, select an overall Best in Show. The winners will receive awards and gifts from the sponsors, and the Best in Show will win a trip to Italy for two, including a visit to a Parmigiano Reggiano caseificio and the design museums of Alessi and Kartell. Additionally, the Best in Show Award winner will be invited to be a part of the jury in next year’s competition.
The Call for Entries is now open and ready to accept submissions, with a deadline of May 6.
For more information please visit: https://parmigianoreggiano.us/design-challenge-overview/
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About Parmigiano Reggiano
For more than 900 years, Parmigiano Reggiano has been produced exclusively in the Italian provinces of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena and parts of the provinces of Mantua and Bologna, on the plains, hills and mountains enclosed between the rivers Po and Reno. From these deep roots in a protected and respected environment, come the unique qualities, which characterize this true Italian masterpiece. Parmigiano Reggiano is always made with just three ingredients: cow’s milk, salt and rennet. The feeding of cattle complies with the norms of a strict specification that bans the use of silage and fermented feeds. Parmigiano Reggiano is aged a minimum of 12 months while most Parmigiano Reggiano available in the US is aged a minimum of 24-36 months. No additives or preservatives are ever used as part of the strict production guidelines nor are they needed due to the humidity controlled aging techniques and long aging times, resulting in a naturally lactose-free cheese.
About Kartell
Founded by Giulio and Anna Castelli in 1949, in the early years Kartell took its first steps to produce the distinctive design that would come to epitomize the ‘Made in Italy’ label. Today, Kartell represents over 70 years of history, of family, of culture and design, of innovative products, materials and technologies. Known for its ongoing work with some of the world’s greatest designers, Kartell is committed to pursuing beauty and absolute quality.
About Alessi
Currently celebrating their 100 Year Anniversary, Alessi was founded in Northern Italy on Lake Orta by Giovanni Alessi in 1921 and evolved to become one of the leading Factories of Italian Design. Over the years, they have collaborated with over three hundred designers and architects from around the world and have produced thousands of objects for the Home, many of which have become icons of modern design. Renowned for their quality and meticulous craftsmanship, Alessi desires to produce objects which are not only functional, but also satisfy people’s needs for art and poetry. Alessi is also proud to be officially recognized as one of the first Italian Design Factories to become a Certified Benefit Corporation, a global movement of companies that go beyond the goal of profit to use their business as a tool to positively impact their employees, community and the environment.
